1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an article feeding apparatus for feeding articles (various electronic parts such as semiconductor chips) being fabricated to a next manufacturing process or feeding completed articles to a next assembling process.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, production lines for articles (various electronic parts such as semiconductor chips) often employ containers in the form of upwardly open boxes for feeding a number of articles to a next fabrication process or a storage chamber.
For feeding a number of electronic parts (hereinafter also referred to as "workpieces") with a container along a production line, the workpieces are randomly placed into the container, and the container is automatically delivered to a next fabrication process or a storage chamber by a belt conveyor or a feed arm.
If articles to be fed are small-size articles such as electronic parts, then it is known to employ a feed path having a number of small holes and ejecting air through these holes to feed the articles.
According to the air-feeding process, a number of small-size articles can smoothly be fed to a destination within a reduced period of time while reducing foreign matter which would otherwise tend to be attached to the articles.
The air-feeding process is carried out by a feeding apparatus which is usually made of a metal such as aluminum or steel to meet robustness requirements of the feeding apparatus. However, it is not easy to form small air-ejection holes in the metal panel of the feed path for controlling a floated state of small articles to be fed. When the feeding apparatus is used for a long period of time, the feed path, which is in the form of a groove, tends to be worn, and particles abraded off the feed path are liable as foreign matter to the articles being fed.